Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has voiced serious concerns about the current state of Nigeria, describing the nation as a “failing state” under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. His remarks came during the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum held at Yale University in Connecticut, USA, where he delivered a keynote address titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria.”
Obasanjo criticized the leadership style of President Tinubu, using terms like “Baba-go-slow” and “Emilokan,” phrases associated with Tinubu during his election campaign, to highlight what he sees as ineffective governance. In a statement by his Media Aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo stressed that Nigeria’s challenges are undeniable to “every honest person.”
According to Obasanjo, the country is plagued by corruption, insecurity, and division, which he attributed to poor leadership. He stated, “The more the immorality and corruption of a nation, the more the nation sinks into chaos, insecurity, conflict, and disunity.”
The former president drew on Chinua Achebe’s seminal work, The Trouble with Nigeria, to emphasize that leadership failure—not cultural or environmental factors—is at the root of the nation’s problems. He warned that powerful elites have captured state institutions, manipulating them for personal benefit.
Obasanjo criticized the sale of national assets at undervalued prices and the undue influence of vested interests on government policies, saying, “State capture is one of the most pervasive forms of corruption.”
Obasanjo further highlighted how the close ties between business and political elites, along with practices like vote-buying, have hampered Nigeria’s progress in critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Despite these challenges, he offered hope, asserting that Nigeria can overcome its difficulties if its leaders commit to accountability and meaningful reform. While honoring Chinua Achebe’s legacy, Obasanjo described him as “a great and distinguished Nigerian” whose contributions remain timeless.
